Here are my top five consumer news stories for the week of January 6, 2012.
- Damages Cap Bites The Dust. Finally a consumer victory out of Arkansas of all places. What began as a case about negligent contamination of the domestic long-grain rice supply with genetically modified rice ended with the Arkansas Supreme Court striking down a blanket cap on punitive damages.
- Glaxo Fine For Vaccine Trials In Argentina. Although vaccines can be effective in preventing illness and disease, they can also cause problems. GSK was fined for running a clinical trial in Argentina that resulted in the deaths of 14 infants.
- Safety Signal With Vaginal Mesh Implants Forces Additional Safety Studies. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and C.R. Bard Inc. (BCR) must study rates of organ damage and complications linked to vaginal mesh implants, U.S. regulators said, responding to patient advocates who say the devices have harmed women. FYI my firm has been handling these cases since 2008! Ahead of the curve anyone? *crickets*
- Unreported Data From Clinical Drug Trials Risks Lives. Unreported data from early trials of experimental medicines in humans can result in harm to future patients and needless costs for health systems, according to scientists writing in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday.
- What Novartis Did Wrong At Its Consumer Plant. Novartis quietly suspended production at a plant in Lincoln, Nebraska, where various over-the-counter and animal health meds are made.